Download The Pediatric Brain Tumor Program

The Pediatric Brain Tumor Program
Advanced treatments, innovative research and family-centered care.
A collaboration between
Contact us for non-emergent cases and consults:
Please call MD Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospital at 713.792.5410, and a patient
access specialist will connect you to a pediatric brain tumor specialist.
For emergency cases or after hours:
Please page 713.200.0909, and a pediatric neurosurgeon or physician assistant will
promptly return your call.
pediatricbraintumor.org
The Pediatric Brain Tumor Program
Pediatric brain tumors are the second most common cancer in children,
with approximately 2,500 to 3,500 brain tumors diagnosed in the United States
each year. Through the collaborative efforts of The University of Texas
MD Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospital, Children’s Memorial Hermann
Hospital and affiliated physicians from the UTHealth Medical School, advances
are being made in the treatment and survival of patients with these tumors.
Knowing the signs
Brain tumors in children are often
very different from those in adults,
in cell type, presentation and
responsiveness to treatment. Because
a child’s brain is still developing, it is
important for a child or adolescent
to receive diagnosis and treatment
from a physician team specializing in
pediatric brain tumors.
Tumors present in a variety of ways
depending on their location in the
brain. The most common signs and
symptoms are headache and vomiting due to elevated intracranial pressure. In
infants and young children, irritability or a fontanelle that is fuller than normal
may signal elevated intracranial pressure. Other signs and symptoms may include:
• Motor weakness
• Sensory changes
• Personality changes
• Unsteady gait
• Difficulty with muscle control
• Lethargy
• Seizures
• Vision changes
• Speech problems
• Endocrine disorders
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Teaming together to treat brain tumors in children and adolescents
The Pediatric Brain Tumor
Program brings together a team of
experts affiliated with Children’s
Memorial Hermann Hospital and
MD Anderson Children’s Cancer
Hospital to serve physicians,
patients and families with new and
advanced ways to diagnose and
treat childhood brain tumors.
The pediatric brain tumor
team includes board-certified
specialists in:
• Pediatric neuro-oncology
• Pediatric neurosurgery
• Radiation oncology
• Neuroradiology
• Neuropathology
• Neuropsychology
• Survivorship
Additional support is provided by psychologists, nutritionists, social workers and
child life specialists as well as developmental and education specialists.
With a family-centered approach, the team treats a variety of brain and spinal
tumors, including:
• Medulloblastoma (primitive neuroectodermal tumor)
• Astrocytoma
• Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM)
• Ependymoma
• Choroid plexus papilloma and carcinoma
• Atypical teratoid-rhabdoid tumor (ATRT)
• Craniopharyngioma
• Ganglioglioma
• Dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumor (DNET)
• Germ cell tumors
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The pediatric brain tumor team’s approach to treatment
Physicians with the Pediatric Brain Tumor Program partner with patients and families
to deliver the best treatment tailored to children with brain and spinal tumors. In
addition, the patient’s pediatrician will stay updated throughout the child’s care.
The program includes:
• Surgical treatment by board-certified, fellowship-trained pediatric neurosurgeons
• Comprehensive care provided by subspecialists from pediatric neuro-oncology,
pediatric neurosurgery, radiation oncology and neuroradiology
• Expert diagnosis provided by board-certified oncologic neuropathologists
• Minimally invasive endoscopic techniques for resection of brain tumors
• Avoidance of ventriculoperitoneal shunting, when possible, for hydrocephalus
• Endoscopic transnasal and intraventricular approaches for selected tumors
• Access to MD Anderson’s BrainSUITE® to allow complex surgeries to be performed
with real-time view of the tumor using intraoperative MRI in the operating suite
• Joint tumor board between specialists at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital
and MD Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospital
• Proton radiation therapy with pencil-beam scanning and intensity-modulated
proton therapy
• Single-center clinical trial for recurrent medulloblastoma, ependymoma and
atypical teratoid-rhabdoid tumors using the direct infusion of chemotherapy into
the fourth ventricle
• Access to multiple clinical trials for brain tumors
• Survivorship clinic offering integrated, long-term care for patients
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Meet the team
Pediatric Neurosurgery
David I. Sandberg, M.D.
Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Mischer Neuroscience Institute/
Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital
Associate Professor, Department of Neurosurgery/Pediatric Surgery
UTHealth Medical School
Associate Professor, Department of Neurosurgery
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Stephen Fletcher, D.O.
Associate Professor, Department of Pediatric Surgery
UTHealth Medical School
Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital
Jeffrey S. Weinberg, M.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Neurosurgery
MD Anderson Cancer Center
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Pediatric Neuro-Oncology
Soumen Khatua, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Division of Pediatrics
MD Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospital
Section Chief, Pediatric Neuro-Oncology
Michael Rytting, M.D.
Associate Professor, Division of Pediatrics
MD Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospital
Wafik Zaky, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Division of Pediatrics
MD Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospital
pediatricbraintumor.org
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Radiation Oncology
David R. Grosshans, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Anita Mahajan, M.D.
Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Mary Frances McAleer, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Susan L. McGovern, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology
MD Anderson Cancer Center
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Neurology
John M. Slopis, M.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Neuro-Oncology
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Neuropsychology
Bartlett D. Moore III, Ph.D.
Professor, Division of Pediatrics
MD Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospital
Survivorship and Follow-up Care
Joann L. Ater, M.D.
Professor, Division of Pediatrics
MD Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospital
pediatricbraintumor.org
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Neuropathology
Kenneth D. Aldape, M.D.
Professor and Chair, Department of Pathology
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Meenakshi B. Bhattacharjee, M.D.
Professor, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
UTHealth Medical School
Gregory N. Fuller, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Pathology
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Neuroradiology
Leena M. Ketonen, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Diagnostic Imaging
MD Anderson Cancer Center
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Pediatric Neuroscience Research
Joya Chandra, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Division of Pediatrics
MD Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospital
Vidya Gopalakrishnan, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Division of Pediatrics
MD Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospital
Neural Immunotherapy
Laurence J. Cooper, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor, Division of Pediatrics
MD Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospital
Section Chief, Pediatric Cell Therapy
Dean Anthony Lee, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Division of Pediatrics
MD Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospital
pediatricbraintumor.org
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Contact us for non-emergent cases and consults:
Please call MD Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospital at 713.792.5410, and a patient
access specialist will connect you to a pediatric brain tumor specialist.
For emergency cases or after hours:
Please page 713.200.0909, and a pediatric neurosurgeon or physician assistant will
promptly return your call.
A collaboration between
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